Rhubarb Sheet Cake for A Crowd

In the world of food you are either a rhubarb lover or hater. I love rhubarb and when I see it in the store I start baking and cooking with it. When I was a child in Germany rhubarb grew wild in the fields and I remember eating delicious rhubarb cakes. Raw rhubarb makes your mouth pucker but once you cook this vegetable and add sweetener, it turns into a culinary delight, at least for me. It tastes like a green apple with a tiny hint of celery. 

Red rhubarb stalks have a stronger sweeter flavor. The green stalks are fine if you can’t find the red ones. When you buy them in the store select the larger stalks that are not curled or limp. Tenderness is not related to size. Look for stems without visible blemishes. 
Rhubarb is a vegetable. It is a member of the buckwheat family. The ancient Chinese used it as a medicinal herb over 5000 years ago. Rhubarb is a native of Siberia and got its name from the Rha River which is now called the Volga. The English were the first to eat rhubarb in the 17th century but started eating the leaves which contain a toxic amount of oxalic acid. It took them 200 years to figure out that they could eat the stalks. American settlers brought the plant to the US. 

I planted three plants in my tiny garden, which have survived gopher attacks and neglect. Even though my plants are several years old they produce just a few thin stalks with giant toxic leaves. 

I use the peel from the rhubarb and some tiny stalks to make the most delicious juice. I added the peel to a pot of water  (3 cups)  with a few tablespoons of sugar and cooked them for 20 minutes. I end up with a tasty juice to add to my sparkling or plain water.  It would be great for exotic cocktails. ​

Soon after we returned from our trip, I  hosted our book club and made this cake for dessert. For a main dish, I  prepared my chicken fricassee with fresh green asparagus baked in a dish covered with puff pastry. It was delicious, I started from scratch by making my chicken broth. It does make a difference. I put all my vegetable and bone scraps in the freezer and use them for my broth when the time comes. Click on the photos for the recipe.

This cake is not rich and sweet, it’s like a coffee cake you can enjoy any time of the day. It is good for a couple of days and feeds a crowd. You determine the size of the pieces you want to cut. I served it with vanilla ice cream but prefer it with whipped cream. I used my Kitchen Aid for this recipe.

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Ingredients:
The crust:
(220g) Butter at room temperature 
1 ¼ cup (200g) powdered sugar
4 eggs at room temperature 
a pinch of salt
1 ¾ cup (220g) all-purpose flour
1 tsp. baking powder
​The Streusel:
9 TBS ( 20g) butter 
1 ⅓ cup (170g) all-purpose flour
a pinch of salt
1 tsp. vanilla  sugar 
1 scant cup (150g) sugar
The Rhubarb Filling:
1 ¼ pound rhubarb
¼  cup (30g) sugar 
¼ cup (30g) flour
Directions:
Preheat the oven to  350˚ degrees 
Cover a baking sheet with parchment paper.
The Streusel:
Melt the butter and let it cool. I used my KitchenAid to mix the chilled butter, powdered sugar, salt, vanilla, and flour with the hook attachment until the dough turned into streusels. I put the streusels in a bowl and used my hand to make them even and loosen them before I returned them to the refrigerator.
The Crust
Cream the soft butter and powdered sugar for about five minutes until the dough has doubled. Add one egg at a time. Mix and sift the flour with salt and baking powder and add to the dough. Mix the dough until the flour is incorporated. Spread the dough evenly onto the prepared baking sheet.

Wash and peel the rhubarb. Slice the rhubarb into ¼ inch slices and mix with the flour and sugar. Spread them evenly over the cake.  Sprinkle the streusel over the cake and bake for 45 to 50 minutes. Cool the cake before serving.
​.
Guten Appetit!
recipe by from 
​https://www.sweetsandlifestyle.com/rhabarberkuchen-mit-streusel/#google_vignette
translated by Sunnycovechef.com

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Here are some of my other Rhubarb recipes I posted over the years

A stunning strawberry rhubarb cake topped with meringue . 
​click here for the recipe

A  healthy  yogurt mousse with rhubarb compote
click her for the recipe

An easy to make rhubarb and strawberry crisp
​click here for the recipe

Roasted rhubarb and strawberry ice cream, a refreshing and  tasty treat .
​click her for the recipe 

A recipe for rhubarb and strawberry pie from my friend Robert
click ​here  for the recipe